Patriots add quarterback depth by signing Cody Kessler

The New England Patriots added depth behind Tom Brady and Jarrett Stidham by signing veteran journeyman quarterback Cody Kessler.

In a surprising move, the New England Patriots signed quarterback Cody Kessler on Wednesday, per Bleacher Report’s Adam Wells.

The Patriots have rarely carried three quarterbacks on their roster during the Bill Belichick era. The last time New England maintained three QBs on their roster during the regular season was in 2016, when Tom Brady began the season serving a four-game suspension for his role in the Deflategate controversy. That year, both Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett saw action in place of Brady.

New England looked poised to potentially carry three quarterbacks again this year when they drafted Jarrett Stidham in the fourth round back in April. Stidham was originally third on the QB depth chart behind Brady and Brian Hoyer, but he later beat out Hoyer for the backup job, leading to Hoyer’s release at the end of August.

Stidham looked sharp in the preseason, but played poorly last Sunday when he got his first taste of regular season action. With the Patriots up 30-7 over the Jets in the fourth quarter, Stidham entered the game in place of Brady and promptly threw a pick-six to New York safety Jamal Adams. He finished the game 2/3 for 14 yards with no touchdowns and the one interception, posting a 37.5 quarterback rating in the process.

Whether or not that dismal showing resulted in the Pats signing Kessler this week is unknown. It’s also possible that New England just wants more insurance at the game’s most important position, especially considering the fact that Brady has been dealing with a calf injury the past two weeks.

Kessler entered the NFL back in 2016 as a Cleveland Browns third-round pick out of USC. He lasted just two seasons with the Browns before getting traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2018. Kessler started four games for the Jags that season but was released the following year. He then signed with the Philadelphia Eagles this past offseason, though he did not make the team’s final roster.

In 17 regular season games (12 of which he started), Kessler has a career completion percentage of 64.2, and has thrown for eight touchdowns against five interceptions. His career quarterback rating is 83.7, but he has just a 2-10 record as a starter.